Michael J. DiGioia

Michael J. DiGioia, 97, of Chandler, AZ, passed away on July 18, 2015. He was born on May 8, 1918, in Brooklyn, NY, to Comincio and Assunta DiGioia. He was the 6th of 7 children with 4 sisters, 2 brothers. Michael graduated from high school in June 1935, and went to work for Piel Brothers Brewery in Brooklyn, NY as an office boy before rising to the position of Assistant Head of the Accounts Receivables Department. In September of 1940, he married Margaret “Marge” Vitsilakis, his loving wife of 64 years, until her passing in December 2004. In June 1943, he was appointed as a Patrolman in the NYC Police Department where he worked for one year patrolling the NYC Transit System, and then was assigned to the 77th Precinct in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. During tenure as a Patrolman in the 77th Precinct, he was assigned to the office of the Chief Clerk of the Police Department where twice monthly he worked on the department’s payrolls as a comptometer operator. During that time police personnel were paid twice monthly. In 1951 he was promoted to rank of Detective, and assigned to the 69th Detective Squad, located in the Canarsie area of Brooklyn. In 1958, he transferred to the Auto Theft and Fraud Squad. In 1968, he retired from the Police Department and secured a job with the National Auto Theft Bureau as a Special Agent. He was assigned to cover Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties in the state of New York to assist law enforcement agencies in reference to identifying cars that had been set on fire and/or vandalized in all manner identification been removed. After living in Lynbrook and Sag Harbor, Long Island, he moved to Sun Lakes, AZ in 1987 where he obtained a job with the S.L.H.O.A. as a Patrol Officer. In 1988, he was promoted to Lieutenant by the Chief of Security and Patrol, with Jim Callaway as Second in Command. He worked for the homeowner’s association for 10 years and retired. During that time he was a volunteer at Chandler Regional Hospital for 10 years and Sun Lakes Library for 2 years. He is survived by: two children, Michael Jr. (Annie) and Susan (Richard) Malerba; one sister, Celia (John) Nigro; four grandchildren, Anthony (Blanca), Nicole Dolce, and Jaclyn and Richard (Tamara) Malerba Jr.; and three great grandchildren, Olivia DiGioia, Sydney Dolce, and Elliott Malerba. Michael is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. He was very involved in the community as: an honorary life member and Financial Secretary, Trustee, and Grand Knight for 2 terms at the St. Mary’s Knights of Columbus Council #2228 in Lynbrook, NY; Elk’s Club in South Hampton, Long Island, NY; Secretary for 3 years and Treasurer for 2 years of the Italian American Club of Sun Lakes for over 15 years; Sun Lakes Kiwanis Club since 1987; Patrolman’s Benevolent Association; Detective Endowment Association; Police Department of NYC. Services will be at Valley of the Sun Mortuary & Cemetery, 10940 E. Chandler Heights Rd., Chandler, AZ. A visitation will be held Thursday, July 23 from 4-7 pm. A funeral service will be held Friday, July 24 at 10:00 am with a reception to follow. Visit our memorial page and share a memory at www.valleyofthesunfuneralhome.com